Little Gold Stressor
by liadan21
Summary: Be kind, its my first ever post. Reid goes missing and to find him, the team must profile him. But what does Elle have to do with Reid? Rating may change later.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. I own nothing. Flames will only melt my icy heart.

Little Gold Stressor 

CHAPTER ONE

Elle sat quietly at her desk. She was trying to concentrate on the file folder in front of her, but it was almost impossible. Every time she looked up, she saw him trying to act like he wasn't watching her. Elle was in the same boat. She could feel his eyes on her when she tried to focus on her work.

Once again, she glanced around the office to see if anyone was close enough to catch her. No one was watching, so she looked up ever so slightly. Her heart leapt into her throat, and a blush crept up her neck and settled in her cheeks. What they had been flirting around all day had happened.

They had both looked up at the same moment and their eyes met. He smiled, and she felt herself melting.

'Oh boy…' she thought to happily. 'What the hell are we doing?' She couldn't wipe the smile off her face no matter how hard she tried.

She suddenly felt the gold band on her left ring finger keenly, a sparkly diamond set neatly on the top. They had been dating since the hostage case in El Paso. She moved into his two-bedroom rental house about four months ago. Last night he proposed after he burned dinner out of sheer nervousness and an entire bottle of wine.

After fourteen months, Elle Greenaway would be making plans to become Mrs. Spencer Reid.

Brrrrrrrrr…Brrrrrrrrrr

Elle tore her gaze away from his and turned to her phone as it was making its way across her desk. The display screen said she had a new text message. She flipped it open to read.

What do ya want to do for dinner? Besides me of course. :P 

She grinned at the childish humor. It was the deal breaker. At work, he was serious, almost uptight about their cases. At home, he was laid back and had a wicked, if not active sense of humor. She answered back.

_JJ invited me for drinks, I meant to tell you at lunch, but we weren't alone. I'll probably be late.. She's gonna want to know who gave me this colossal ring. _

She watched as Spencer read her reply. He swept his eyes around the bullpen and then stuck his tounge out at her.

Suddenly, both of their phones went off at the same time. The text message being form Morgan…_ You guys should watch yourselves, you're being obvious._

That sobered them both instantly. They could not be caught in a relationship. Protocol forbid two agents of the same unit to become involved with each other. One of them would have to either transfer or quit. As far as they were concerned, neither was an option. The only reason Derrick Morgan knew was because he ran into them in a… compromising situation at their favorite restaurant.

Sufficiently snapped out of their "engaged" bubble, Elle and Spencer were able to focus a little better on their case files.

Around six, Spencer finally finished up the last of the case file he was working on, and packed up his satchel. He felt the vibrations of his cell in his back pocket. Another text message form Elle.

_Garcia showed up a couple of minutes ago, I'm definitely gonna be late. Don't wait up. Love you._

Spencer smiled. He recognized early on that he was in way over his head quite early on in the relationship. Elle was gonna be his last girlfriend. The idea scared him a little in the beginning, now he didn't really mind so much.

The elevator dinged to alert him that he had reached his level in the parking garage and he stepped out. Then he froze. Something didn't seem right. He slipped his hand into his satchel and rested it on his gun. With his car keys in the other hand, he made his way across the empty parking lot.

'Its too quiet.' He realized. 'There's no sound at all.' He made it to his dark green Landover, beeped the alarm, and climbed in.

'You are such a chicken Reid,' he thought at his reflection in the rear view mirror. He lifted the satchel strap over his shoulder and placed the bag on the floor of the passenger side. Just as he inserted the key in to the ignition, a gloved hand snaked around his chest from the back seat and another hand covered his nose and mouth with a thick cloth.

His thoughts were on the gun he left in his bag and trying to reach it. He felt cold metal of a gold ring bite against his cheek.

'Elle's gonna freak…' was all he could think about as the chloroform took effect.

Spencer Reid was kidnapped at 6:13 pm, from an FBI parking lot, and no one would know until the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Little Gold Stressor

Disclaimer: Own nothing… just a story for fun.

CHAPTER TWO

Elle had a sinking feeling all morning. Spencer hadn't called her at all last night. He wasn't on a leash or anything, but he wasn't home when she had managed to drag herself away from JJ and Penelope. The two women were determined to squeeze the lucky man's name from her via martini after martini. Thank god it was a Friday and Elle could hold her liquor or they would have one pissed off boss to answer too.

It wasn't unusual for Spencer to meet a few old college friends and catch a lecture or seminar and the college in Alexandria, but he always made it home or let her know he was crashing with someone. And he had never-_not_ answered his cell when she called, even before they got together.

Elle grabbed her keys and scribbled a note for him to call her if he came home, with plans to hit the library and university, maybe the coffee shop they tended to frequent in hopes of finding her man. Her cell going off in her hand stopped her cold.

The display said it was Gideon. It should have been reassuring. If she was being called in, so would Spencer. They could have a quiet tiff about his recent lack of communication, and give each other the silent treatment for a couple of hours. Then he would bring her coffee, or she would grab his hand as she passed him and they would make up when they got home.

So why did this feel so… off, somehow? There was only one way to find out.

"Greenaway."

"Elle, we have a case, you need to be here ASAP." Gideon's tone left no room to argue, but then it never did.

"I'm on my way." She fought the urge to ask about Spencer as she closed her phone. 'I'll get to work, and he'll be there, and everything will be fine.' Elle rolled her eyes as she made her way out the door. 'When I actually believe that, I'll feel better.'

When she got to the bullpen she ran into Garcia. "We're all supposed to be in the round table room in 5!" The tech hollered as she ran to gather the last minute essentials for the briefing.

Five minutes later, Reid was the only member of the unit still not present. Elle was visibly agitated. This was not right. Where the hell was he? She flicked her eyes up to the clock, 7:15am. She turned to face her colleagues at the table and met Gideon's steady gaze.

'He's been watching me since I walked into the room,' she realized. Startled, but never one to back down, Elle held her own and returned the steady stare.

Hotch broke the tension by entering, "Everybody, listen up." He called to gain their attention. He nodded at Garcia, who turned to her computer.

Any and all of Elle's worries were confirmed. Her stomache dropped, and she felt like there was no air in the room. Garcia had posted a picture of Spencer Reid on the screen. Hotch's next words struck her cold.

"We have reason to believe that Reid was abducted last night. We need to work fast here. We have no idea, as of yet, just what we're dealing with. The only real evidence we have is a security video of an unsub driving Reid's car, with Reid appearing to be incapacitated in the backseat and the fact that no one has been able to reach him since. Usually, we have to wait at least 24 hours before we can report some one missing, but with the current circumstances we're being cut some slack." Here Hotch paused, letting the information sink in.

"What do we have to start from?" Gideon asked quietly.

"Garcia has been using facial recognition software to try and track down the driver, he's been identified as a Dr. Peter House. He's a professor of psychology at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He quit five semesters ago and has fallen off the map. No credit card uses or payments, no plane tickets, no bills in his name anywhere. The only thing that we've got is a Virginia driver's license.

"Our next course of action is to head to Reid's house and see what we find while we have agents tracking down Reid's car." Hotch answered.

"Did Reid take his class? His first doctorate he earned while he lived at home in Vegas." Morgan inquired.

"Yes, and House also provided quite a recommendation on Reid's application to the FBI. This is shaping up to be a case of obsession. If this guy has actually followed Reid across the country, he has to have left something. We have no idea just how long we have to find it."

"Well then lets not waste any time!" Elle piped up. "What's our next move?" Her head was reeling. Someone took Spencer. She was out drinking, and someone took Spencer.

Hotch gave her an assessing look. "We go to his house and see what we can find and Garcia stays here and sees what she can dig up."

Elle was happy for the knock on the door. It took her out of the hot seat for a moment. Gideon was hard enough to deal with, now she had put Hotch on guard for her too.

"I'm sorry Agent Hotchner, but I thought you would want to see this first thing," the tech said, handing Hotch a business envelope. After the tech left the room Hotch tore into the parcel. Reid's badge and id fell on to the table.


	3. Chapter 3

Little Gold Stressor

CHAPTER THREE

Laughter could be heard coming from the back porch of the crafts man style house. Smoke from the bar-b-queue could be smelt from the front yard.

"Are you serious? You actually blew up a chemistry lab!" Elle exclaimed before dissolving into another fit of breathe stealing giggles. She set the beer down on to the picnic table they had just finished eating over.

"It was an accident! I swear!" Spencer managed to force out before succumbing to hysterics himself, "but you should've seen the dean's face! Between the dry ice and the frog guts all over the counter tops, I was positive I was going to be expelled!"

"So what happened?" Elle inquired while wiping tears from her eyes. "Thanks," shyly, when Spencer handed her a napkin.

"Truthfully? He gave me a scholarship. Then he made me clean up the lab." Spencer answered. "Want another beer?"

"Why Dr. Reid! I do believe that you are trying to get me hammered." Elle accused lightly.

His wolfish grin was a dead give away. "If you drink, you'll stay over. I get laid, and you get to wear one of my comfy, yet stylish t-shirts while you cook breakfast."

"Spencer Reid!" Elle was shocked and slightly drunk. A lady would be completely offended, but she also knew which shirt she would choose. The look in her eyes was not lost on Spencer. "For your information, you will be cooking in the morning, and coffee doesn't count."

"As you wish." Spencer responded with a bow of his head.

"The Princess Bride." How do we always end up playing this stupid game?

"Your turn Princess," Spencer deadpanned.

"Fine. Let me think…okay. 'He beats his fist against the post and still insists he sees the ghost.' Try that one Genius."

"…"

"Did I get you?" Elle asked with rising excitement.

"No! Just gimme a minute, there's a lot of crap to sift through in my head. And we've been drinking half the evening!" Spencer snapped back.

"Oh my God! I totally got you! You have not idea!" Elle began laughing in earnest again.

After Elle quieted down and Spencer gave the matter ten minutes, he gave up. "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Elle was enjoying this way too much. Male ego be damned.

"What's it from?" Spencer was snapping again, but he just couldn't strike the smile from his face.

Elle considered not telling, but those big hazel eyes couldn't be denied. "I don't know where it may have originated, but I got it from IT."

Now Spencer looked a wee bit miffed. "It, what?"

Elle shook her head and began giggling again, "Stephen King, ya know IT. Killer Clown and creepy kids." She stood and took the plates inside the house through the back patio door. Spencer followed her as she spoke.

"Are you telling me that you managed to stump me with Stephen King?" He smiled and walked up behind her as she stood at the kitchen sink.

"You mad, Popi?" Elle teased.

"I'm actually kind of proud of you." Spencer reached his hands around her waist and rested them on the bare skin below her tank top. "For a while there, I wasn't so sure you could read."

She reached around to smack him, but he was already half way down the hall heading to the bedroom. Proud indeed. Elle smirked as she followed.

Elle couldn't breathe. She felt Morgan's concern, and knew that it was for them both.

"Elle," Gideon called quietly. "Do you have any information that we need to know about? Something that could possibly help?"

He knows, she realized. He's probably suspected since El Paso, but now he knows. "I've been living with Spencer for almost five months. He proposed, now he's missing." God, did her voice really just crack?

Her announcement was met with total silence. Morgan shook his head, Hotch turned and walked until he was inches from Reid's photo. Gideon's face was one of acceptance. JJ and Garcia looked anywhere but at Elle. The mystery man behind the ring was strikingly clear.

Gideon gave the team another moment to digest the news before he called them back to the case at hand. "Why just send back Reid's badge and id? Why send anything back at all?"

"This guy wouldn't pull us into his fantasy. He's probably taunting us. Gloating that he was able to pull Reid right out from under our noses." Morgan suggested.

"It's a possibility. I want to head over to the house, Elle. We need to check it out." Hotch continued.

Elle nodded. "I want to go."

"Out of the question," was Gideon's immediate response. "We don't know enough about our unsub or his intentions. And you are officially off this case; you're personally involved with the victim. I'm sorry Elle."

Hotch seemed to brace himself, "Once we clear the house, you can go home."

"Like hell! Hotch, look, I can't be involved, I get that, but I can't go home and wait around! Please, I have to be here." Elle begged.

Hotch seemed to know that there was no way Elle would leave. At least she had agreed to step aside and let them handle this.

"Morgan, you come with me and Gideon. Garcia, keep looking. There has got to be something on this guy; there's no way he's a ghost. Lets go." Hotch decided.

"I'll help you Garcia." Elle volunteered. "Give me something to keep me occupied." She explained before Hotch or Gideon could tell her no.

"Alright." Hotch allotted as he and Morgan were walking out of the office.

"Elle," Gideon called, "He's gonna be fine. We're the best there is."

"Yeah, we are." Elle could feel the tears she was trying to hold abck the entire briefing starting to form. "He'll be home by dinner."

The light was too bright. It had to be florescent. The mattress was actually comfortable, and the food, while simple, was decent. Spencer had woken up and to his surprise, he was unbound and uninjured. He hadn't seen a soul since. The food consisted of sandwiches and bags of chips, all of which were in the mini-fridge that was tucked away in a corner of the small bedroom.

"Okay, if he was going to kill me, he would have done it by now. So why am I still here?" He wondered to himself.

He had gotten up and walked the room looking for any sign, any clue. The door was locked and there was no window. Well there was a way to get out, but it felt over simple. He had no idea what was outside the door.

He contemplated the options. Stay and see what happens and who shows up. Or he could go, and risk bumping into and pissing off his very own pet psycho. He had never really been a sit around kinda guy.

Spencer pulled the fridge away from the wall and popped the back off. He found what he needed, a paper clip like wire. Then he walked to the door and went right to work.

Then he noticed it. The watch Elle had gotten him for his last birthday, he wore it everyday. It was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I'm grateful for the input! I do need to apologize for the confusing scene changes. The page breaks showed up in my computer, but not on the sight. I have reposted this chapter correctly. Thanks again everybody!

CHAPTER FOUR

"Spencer, I'm brining in another box. Where do you want it?" Elle hollered as she walked into the house. They had been moving her things in a little at a time. Now it was her last chance to finish as her apartment lease was up.

"I just finished unpacking one in the kitchen, so the table's clear." He answered as he put the last of Elle's dishes in the cabinet with his own. Spencer wasn't big on cooking, so there was plenty of room for Elle's cookware.

Meanwhile, Elle was busy unloading the last box of her things. She paused as she held up two bottles of shampoo. "How the heck did these end up in the kitchen Tupperware?" She then turned and headed to the bathroom.

Spencer had climbed up on a chair in order to put the good dishes on the highest shelf. They would only be brought down for dinner parties or holidays, so there was no reason to have them down with the plates they use everyday.

"Aaahhhhh!" Screeched Elle from the bathroom.

Spencer took off down the hall as fast as his legs would carry him, ready to take down whatever was attacking his woman. He slammed the door open to find Elle standing on the toilet seat.

"Popi! Kill it! Kill it!" She yelled.

"What? Kill what?" Spencer spun around quickly, expecting to see some horrible deformed creature.

"The spider! Its right there!" Elle pointed as she leaned slightly on his shoulder to emphasize the gesture. The small critter was about the size of a quarter.

Spencer turned and faced her slowly and looked his girl straight in the eye. "Are you freakin' serious?"

"What?" Elle lost a bit of the edge of terror under Spencer's scrutiny.

"You can take down a 300 pound unsub with your bare hands, but you can't step on one tiny spider?" He should really stop chuckling; Elle was going to get mad if he didn't stop chucking.

"Well Genius, I'm not wearing any shoes." Uh-oh, she didn't look like she thought it was as funny as he did.

"I'm just teasing, baby." He offered in apology.

"Are you wearing shoes?"

"Yeah." He answered.

"Then start steppin' its getting away." Elle cocked an eyebrow and stood straight on her perch, hands on her hips.

"I'd only do this for you Princess."

Spencer was tired. He was about to give up and try something else. He had been bending and turning the wire for almost an hour. He had a couple close calls, but no success. The lock just wouldn't—'click'

'Never mind, time to go.' Spencer quietly eased the heavy door open. When he was met with silence, he peered out into some type of hallway. It was clear that he was in a house. The furnishings were outdated and dusty, but in their day would have been top quality and tasteful.

There were footprints in the dust leading to the room that he had just escaped. He looked around cautiously silent. If the unsub was still here, Spencer did not want to alert them to his current state of flight.

He crept along to the end of the hallway that held a window. Outside there was nothing but grass and trees and sunshine. He would have to find a way to a road somehow. Then he would need to get to a pay phone. If he chose to be smart, he would put his first call into Garcia. She could track his location and send the rescue party. Or he could call Elle first and completely out their relationship. Damn.

He made it down the stairs and out the door without seeing another soul. He took note of the lack of car in the gravel driveway. Now he knew he had at least until a car returned before the unsub came searching. The trees would make good cover until he could find help.

Spencer Reid began to run.

Elle slammed the door to the bathroom shut and almost locked it. 'No.' She stopped herself. 'If they find Spencer, they'll come looking for you.'

Instead, she locked herself inside a stall and gave into the tears that she held back for the past thirty-six hours. Once she began, they wouldn't stop. The door opened slowly.

"Elle?" It was Garcia. "Elle, honey?"

She tried to move her lips and say she was fine, but all that came out was a muffled sob.

Garcia rapped on the door stall. "Open up," came the command. The voice that made it was thick with tears as well. Elle obeyed.

"Look," the tech began, "the current files I requested will take exactly seven minutes to fully download. The way I see, we have seven minutes to cry our hearts out. After that, we suck it up and get back to work. Whacha think?"

Elle reached out her hand. The two sat down on the floor and held hands while they cried.

Eight minutes later, both of them were back at their desks; the only sign of upset was their red faces and swollen eyes.

It had been like tripping a handicapped kid, even two hours later. Hotch would have given anything to not have to tell Elle about the condition they found Reid's car. Burned to a crisp. There was nothing to salvage. They would be lucky if they could collect any decent evidence.

The Land rover was parked under an underpass. There had been an empty gas can and box of matches on the ground close by, both were clean. Whoever took Dr. Reid was being very thorough. They had no time left. The unsub's intent was a clear end game. He would kill himself or Reid. It would be soon.

They were running out of time.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everybody! I'm sorry its taken so long, but school has started and I'm busy. I'll try to update again soon.

CHAPTER FIVE

The plane touched down in the early evening. Hotch and Gideon dismissed the team with mumbled, "get some sleep. The reports can wait till tomorrow." So the whole team hit the pavement crawling to their own cars. This case had been hard on them all.

Michael Sanders, father of three sons, loving husband, had kidnapped, raped, and murdered five little girls all under the age of ten. They were working against the clock, as he had taken seven year old Emily Harrison and went on the run. He had been chased through two states. When he was corned, he killed the girl and himself. The BAU arrived less than thirty minutes too late.

Spencer and Elle shared a look over the hood of Elle's car. Then she got in her car and pulled out of the parking lot. A glance in her rearview mirror let her know that Spencer was right behind her.

Once they arrived home and made it inside, the pair stripped off their work attire and changed into more comfortable clothes. Elle slipped into a pair of pink cotton work out Capri's with C-U-P-I-D across her seat, and her favorite t-shirt. It belonged to Spencer until she adopted. Spencer changed into green plaid sleeping pants and a black undershirt.

The entire time, they were both silent. Processing their work could be difficult. Spencer went about making sandwiches while Elle grabbed a couple of cokes and the chips. Fatigue was setting in quickly, as they settled next to each other on the couch.

Spencer took care of the dishes. He returned to Elle's vacant gaze. He knew what she was thinking. It was what all of them were thinking. 'We should have been faster. We could have saved her.'

He sat down so close that their legs were touching. He reached over and entwined their fingers. He brought their clasped hands to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Then they curled up close and simply held on to each other, letting the remnants of the case drain away.

Elle was astounded. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She came to an epiphany. 'This is the most intimate experience I've ever had.' There was no sex, no words, nothing. They were just Elle and Spencer cuddling on the couch, but it was really so much more than that now. 'I want this…I want to keep things just like this.'

&

Spencer had been running just inside the tree line for over a mile. He was careful to keep one eye on the road, but stay out of sight. Finally, the main road came into view. He remained as hidden as he could. There was no way to know where the unsub was, or who he was.

'Best would be to keep running. Find a phone, a sheriff's office, something has got to be out here somewhere.' He struggled to push thoughts of Elle to the back of his mind and push on.

He took another few steps, and one of his knees gave out. 'It was bound to happen; I just wish it could've held to town limits.' Spencer sat down to rest. 'Five minutes, just rest for five minutes.'

&

Hotch took the lead as he and Gideon made their way up the front walk of Reid's-and now Elle's house while Morgan went around the back. It seemed in order. There was day old mail in the box hanging next to the door, and a jimmied lock on the door.

"Gideon."

"I see it. Careful." The older agent replied.

As they crept up slowly, Morgan opened front door with his gloved hand. One look and his eyes went wide. "Hotch! Don't take another step!"

Hotch froze and followed Morgan's line of sight. Directly above the final step was a sawed-off shotgun rigged with wire. Upon closer inspection of the top step, the agents realized the wire ran straight across and up to the lethal weapon. He broke out in a cold sweat when he understood that he had almost been killed.

He stepped over the wire; Gideon followed saying, "That buck shot is meant for Elle. And look, in there."

The other two agents peered into the house. Laying on the coffee table was a man's watch. It was silver, classic in appearance. Underneath, a note.

HE'S NOT YOURS ANYMORE 

"Call Garcia, tell her that Elle is not to leave the federal building. This guy is gunning for her now too." Hotch ordered.

"She won't like it, Hotch. She's struggling with this whole thing now." Morgan supplied.

"She'll have to deal with it. As of now, she's in protective custody." Gideon ended the argument.

&

Elle and Garcia had been going over the same information for going on 43 hours. They still had not found anything that gave way to a lead. Elle got up and walked to the break room for more coffee. While she was out, her phone rang.

"Elle! Ellle!" Shouted the technician.

The brunet came rushing back into the high tech office and snatched up her phone. "Spencer? Hello?"

"Hey Princess! Are you okay? Where are you?" He asked in a rush.

"Garcia, we need a trace! Babe, where are you?" Elle asked. "Are you okay?"

"I asked you first." Spencer shot back.

"Spencer!" Elle cut down his lame attempt at humor.

"I don't know Elle. I don't recognize anything. I haven't eaten in a while and I've walked about four miles. The sign over the gas stations says 'Gus Gas and Truck stop.'" He provided.

Elle was writing furiously, and then shoved the paper at Garcia. The blonde began typing away as she dialed Hotch and Gideon.

"Hotchner."

"We've got Reid on Elle's cell. He's sitting at a pay phone at a gas station on I-18."

"We're on our way now, make sure Elle tells him to stay put. ETA's fifteen minutes." Hotch rattled out before he hung up.

"Elle, the boys are on the way. Make sure that he stays where he is. They'll arrive in fifteen." Garcia repeated.

"Popi, you still there?" Elle called through the phone.

"I'm still here, just tired." He answered. "Are you coming to get me?"

"Hotch, Morgan and Gideon are enroot. I'll see you at the hospital." Her tone was comforting, but the offer felt hollow. She wanted to go and get him herself.

"They know…about us?" It was really more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, but we'll worry about it later. Right now, I want you to stay awake until they get there." Damn it, why couldn't she keep from crying.

"Aw Princess, it'll be okay." He said quietly.

"I should be the one saying that to you." Elle laughed under her breath.

"It doesn't matter. Love you." Spencer was fading quickly. The exhaustion was bubbling up from where he had pushed it back, and now he had run out of adrenalin to fight it off.

"Love you too. Stay with me." Elle could hear how tied he was. She glanced at the clock; they would be there in less than five minutes.

"There's an ambulance on the way, they'll meet our guys there." Garcia supplied.

"Ya hear that? You get to go to the hospital." Elle joked lamely.

"Only if you'll supply the enchiladas, I hate hospital food." Spencer tried to joke back. "I'm sorry. I should have called the cops or something. I've totally blown us out of the water."

"Popi, it doesn't matter. Besides, I'm the one who told everybody about us." Elle responded.

"Some one's here." Suddenly Spencer seemed completely aware.

"Who? The rest of the unit might have gotten there." Elle was on edge, he sounded like he was scared.

"Elle, I will marry you." Spencer whispered determination clear.

"Spencer? Who is it?" Elle felt her stomach drop. The unsub was there. She wrote it out to Garcia, who immediately patched it through to Hotch and Gideon.

Elle heard scuffling on the other end of the phone, and the line went dead. Her heart stopped. 'This can't be happening. This can't be real."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Spencer came home to find Elle sitting Indian style on their bed. Her posture foreboding. Something was wrong. "Elle?"

"Hey. You're home," she replied softly. Her tone made Spencer break out in goose bumps, and not the good kind like she usually did.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Dread had blossomed when he realized that Elle was purposefully not looking at him.

"What the hell are we doing?" She asked in the same quiet tone.

"Concerning what?" Spencer asked carefully.

"Us. What were we thinking? How could we possibly delude ourselves into believing this could work?" Her voice cracked even though she was barely speaking above a whisper, Spencer heard her across the room.

"Elle, what are you dancing around? Just come out and say it." Spencer steadied himself to take whatever she could lash out with.

"I'm leaving. I have too. Even if we manage to juggle this, it would be sneaking around in the dark. Neither one of us wants that. Its not fair." Elle finally looked at him, and she looked him square in the eye.

Spencer met her coffee browns in a toe-to-toe show down. "No."

Elle looked shocked. Spencer didn't sound angry, he didn't sound as distraught as she was feeling, he didn't even raise his voice. It was almost like a toddler telling his mother he wasn't going to bed yet. If the situation were different, it would have been funny.

"What?" Elle asked baffled.

"You heard me well and clear Princess." Now his expression changed. He looked… 'Peeved.' Elle decided.

"Spencer, I can't stay." She tried to reason.

"Well you're gonna, so deal with it." Spencer stated as if it ended the discussion.

"That's not how these things work. When one of us wants out, the other doesn't get a say. Look, I know you don't like this, but its best for the both of us."

"I understand that you're not used to dealing with mad scientist, but I'm telling you here and now how it goes. You don't get to dump me because you just figured out that I'm a federal agent. Period." Spencer had gotten louder and louder. He was almost yelling.

Elle gave it back. "What happens then Spencer? What happens when one of us gets hurt on the job, or cornered on duty?"

"I trust you completely to shoot the uncut and carry me to safety. The question is- _Do you trust me?"_ Spencer's gaze tore into her like a lion. This was her man, this was where she belonged.

She got up and closed the distance between them. Placing her hands on his face, closed distance again. When they parted, "I trust you."

&

Ell slammed her cell phone shut and tore out of the office. She had made it nearly to the door before Garcia had finished filling in Hotch, Gideon and Morgan and realized she was gone.

"Elle! Wait! You're not supposed to leave!" Garcia shouted from her office door. "Gideon-"

"To hell with Gideon! I'm going to find my husband." She yelled back over her shoulder. She didn't see the junior agents share shocked looks as she charged out of the building.

"Crap!" Garcia turned and ran back to the phone. The tech was not looking forward to being the messenger about this. The guys were not going to be thrilled about Elle walking out. At least everybody knows where she was going.

&

Hotch, Morgan and Gideon leaped out of the car and pulled their guns in what seemed to be one fluid movement. Yells of "Reid!" Burst through the autumn air.

The sound of gunning tires on gravel drew them to the back of the truck stop. Morgan turned the corner first, just in time to see a flash of Reid. His hands were behind his back, most likely bound and he was kicking frantically at the window in the back seat of the red SUV and at the middle aged man hunched over the wheel to avoid his captive's attempts at freedom.

Derrick Morgan turned on his heel and took off for the federal SUV parked less than twenty yards away. "He's got Reid!" Was clipped to his supervisors. They followed wordlessly.

The three agents piled into the car and sped in the direction they saw the unsub heading. They followed the dust through the heavily wooded area. They came out at a small clearing where they encountered an old two-story house. There was no SUV. There was no sign of the direction they went. No sign of Reid.

"Get agents down here. I want the whole place torn apart. If there's so much as a speck of dust that could lead to our unsub and Reid, I want it processed." Hotch growled into his cell phone.

Gideon and Morgan had been checking around the outside of the house and garage. They both knew it was pointless. They were gone.

&

Spencer had been angry before. He was beyond that now. The profiler in him said to stop raising hell and cooperate before he pissed his pet psycho off. If the unsub was willing to get violent with him, chances were it wouldn't take much to push him into killing someone.

The man in him however would not be compliant. "What the hell do you want!" He shouted.

"Shh, shh. Its okay Spencer. They won't find us. I've made plans incase something like this happened."

'Well fuck me.' Spencer thought. 'Time to go profiler. I'm gonna have to play this guy.' He settled back into the seat. Watching out the window. He was going to need to know the way once he managed to get loose again.


End file.
